Page 53 of Soldier's Chrismas Hope
“So, what happened?” Leslie asked.
“His brother got there,” Nora said. “River introduced us, and then Edward tossed River his keys.”
“No,” Leslie whispered. “What did he do?”
“River?” Nora asked. “He took the keys and did his job, then after that he stayed super busy parking and unparking cars all night.”
“I see,” Leslie said.
“Edward was there to auction off a lunch to talk about tax prep,” Nora went on. “So he didn’t have much to do until they announced his donation. And it turned out that no one brought their kids, so I was just sort of hanging out too.”
“Okay,” Leslie said.
“Once he got there, Edward didn’t leave my side all night,” Nora remembered. “And while we didn’t hit it off instantly like River and I did, I liked him too. He called me a few days after the fundraiser, and we got to know each other slowly. He finally asked me out, and I said yes. And then, well, things just kind of fell into place.”
“Sounds like you two weren’t exactly madly in love,” Leslie said thoughtfully.
“I wouldn’t describe it that way, no,” Nora said. “But I also don’t think love has to be all-consuming like that. You choose to love someone and care about them. You build a relationship, and a marriage. That’s how our grandparents did it.”
“Not all of them, I’ll bet,” Leslie said.
“Anyway, Edward was so driven,” Nora remembered. “I knew my parents would love him. I was never going to be wealthy as a vet tech, but he was already well on his way to a pretty impressive career. It seemed like the universe had aligned and given me a path to follow.”
Nora trailed off, wondering if she would ever come to terms with the decisions she had made, and where they had led her.
“I’m so sorry it didn’t work out,” Leslie said after a moment.
“Honestly?” Nora said. “He didn’t want children. I told him I was fine with that, but some part of me always hoped he would change his mind once we were settled in our jobs and had a nice place of our own. Maybe things actually did work out for the best.”
Neither of them spoke for a moment. But even in the silence, Nora felt her friend’s support.
“So… River just showed up at your door the other night?” Leslie asked.
“Right,” Nora said. “He brought gifts for the kids, and told me he couldn’t believe Edward left.”
“But Edward left months ago,” Leslie said.
“River just got out of the Army,” Nora told her. “He hadn’t heard anything about it until he got home.”
“His family didn’t tell him?” Leslie asked, sounding scandalized.
“I guess not,” Nora said, feeling a little justified at being hurt by that news when it landed on her. “Anyway, he invited us to his farm for the weekend. And we ended up deciding to stay for the holidays.”
“I see,”Leslie said, a smile in her voice. “So you wound up with the right brother after all, huh?”
“No, it’s not like that,” Nora protested.
Could be like that?
“We’ll see,” Leslie said lightly.
“Anyway, how are you?” Nora asked, desperate to change the subject.
“Well, that’s why I tried to stop by,” Leslie said. “I wanted to thank you. I interviewed for your old job, and Tony and Margie hired me on the spot. I had my first shift today, and it was great.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful news,” Nora said, feeling glad to have connected three of her favorite people. “They’re the best, and it’s such a nice facility, even though it’s small.”
“They run a tight ship,” Leslie agreed. “And the clients are great too. But listen, when you’re ready to come back to work, I’ll find something else. I got a couple of offers, so just consider me to be keeping your seat warm, okay? Just in case this brother doesn’t sweep you off your feet.”
